Texas A&M routed South Carolina 52-28 Thursday night in Columbia, S.C., in the first game of the SEC football season. Here are three things we learned:

1. The Aggies shouldn't miss Johnny Manziel all that much

Sophomore Kenny Hill made his first career start at quarterback for Texas A&M, and did so in record-breaking fashion. He completed 44 of 60 passes for 511 yards and three touchdowns, with the yardage total a school record and the fifth-highest in SEC history.

2. The Gamecocks have some major adjustments to make on defense

As good as Hill was, he was often throwing to wide-open receivers due to coverage busts in the South Carolina secondary. The Gamecocks surrendered 680 yards of total offense, the most ever allowed by a Steve Spurrier-coached team. South Carolina's defense was on the field for an astounding 99 snaps.

3. The SEC East race is now wide-open

South Carolina came into the season ranked in the Top 10 nationally and considered the overwhelming favorite to win the SEC East. That's out the window after the Gamecocks got throttled on their home field Thursday. South Carolina hosts Georgia in two weeks, and a second SEC loss would just about do in the Gamecocks.